WASHINGTON D.C. — NASA has detected the first-ever molecule that formed in the universe, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.<br /><br />Scientists discovered the molecule helium hydride 3,000 light-years from Earth near a nebula called NGC 7027 in the Milky Way Galaxy.<br /><br />This is the first time the molecule has been detected in space after scientists tried to create it in a lab almost a century ago, The Guardian reports.<br /><br />According to a NASA news release, the molecule was located using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy or SOFIA.<br /><br />Researchers believe the molecule formed 100,000 years after the big bang. Helium and hydrogen merged together to form the helium hydride molecule. This molecule is believed to have a crucial role in the beginning of the universe, according to the Guardian.
